


the world spun on its axis

by LiveLaughLovex



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Gen, Post 9.06 - Aia I Hi'ikua; I Hi'Ialo, Season/Series 09 Spoilers, Spoilers for 9.06 - Aia I Hi'ikua; I Hi'Ialo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-17 02:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16507502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiveLaughLovex/pseuds/LiveLaughLovex
Summary: Post 9.06, "Aia I Hi'ikua; I Hi'Ialo." After receiving news of his former teammate's divorce from her soon-to-be ex-husband, Detective Danny Williams decides he needs to hear her side of the story. He also delivers some devastating news from his side of the globe along the way.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Watching this show as it comes on is really testing my patience. I watched eight seasons in a month; now I'm getting an episode a week. There is good news, however (at least for me): I get to write more, because I have more time to develop ideas while waiting for episodes. So, there's always an upside. 
> 
> I don't own the show. Obviously if I did, Kono would be around to have these conversations in person - or at least over a phone call onscreen. 
> 
> BEWARE: SPOILERS FOR SEASON 9 AHEAD!

Kono had known she’d hear from her former teammates after Adam returned to Hawaii and made the news of their impending divorce public. She just didn’t expect them to get in touch quite so quickly.

She ignored the calls at first, mostly because she didn’t want to hear the anger and confusion in their voices. She knew exactly why she was getting divorced. That was what no one seemed to understand. There was a long list of reasons she was willingly ending her marriage after less than four years, and she stood behind them all. She had no doubt she was doing the right thing, both for herself and for Adam. That didn’t mean she was exactly keen on talking about it.

Danny’s was the first call she didn’t dodge, mostly because the Jersey native was the easiest of her friends to talk to about things like this. He always spoke his mind, even if his opinions were harsh. Honesty was just about all she could handle those days.

“So,” he began when she answered the call. “You’re no longer a married woman. What the hell is up with that?” Despite the harshness of his words, they were spoken calmly and with no small amount of sympathy. “I mean, seriously, Kono, a phone call or a newsletter would’ve been appreciated. We found out from Tani after she showed up to water your plants and walked in on your ex-husband stumbling drunkenly around the house. I mean, I thought we were all friends.”

Kono scoffed at that. “We are, Mr. Drama,” she teased halfheartedly. “I just didn’t know how to tell you, that’s all. I mean, I didn’t even tell Chin until yesterday.” Her cousin hadn’t been as surprised as other members of the family. He understood better than most the ways in which the job could change a person. “I haven’t told my parents or my brothers yet. I’ve been playing this one close to the vest.”

“Yeah, well, Adam isn’t,” Danny sighed. “He’s a drunken mess of a man; I can’t even walk into your old place without holding my breath because of how bad it smells.” He was silent for a moment before he spoke again. “Look, Kono, I know I come off like an idiot sometimes, especially when it comes to stuff like this, but I’m not completely dense. I know the kinds of things that make cops like us get divorced. I know this thing probably has more than a little bit to do with the job. I just want you to know, if you need to talk, I’m only a phone call away.”

Kono smiled slightly. “I know that,” she assured him. “I just don’t think I’m at that place yet, Danny. You know, the talking-about-it place.”

“Yeah. I get that.” Danny fell silent for a moment, then finally asked, “You heard from McGarrett yet?”

“He’s left a few voicemails,” Kono informed him. “I haven’t gotten back to him. Talking to him about serious things over the phone is too nerve-wracking for me.”

“It’s because of his whole strong-and-silent SEAL thing, isn’t it?” Danny asked knowingly.

“God, yes,” Kono sighed. “I can’t figure out what he’s thinking when he’s like that. It freaks me out.”

“Freaks everyone out, babe,” the detective assured her. “You’re not alone.”

Kono inhaled deeply. “When you and Rachel broke up,” she began hesitantly, “what was harder for you, the actual end of your relationship or telling everybody about it?”

Danny sighed. “The second thing,” he admitted after a moment. “Gracie was on the list of people we had to tell. My mom, too. There are some people you never want to let down, you know? And when you go to them and tell them you couldn’t make it work, that you’re going to turn your world and theirs upside down willingly…” He trailed off. “It’s a lot easier for them to get over it than it is for you to. But you’ll be all right.”

“I really hope so,” she replied. “Because there’s no chance of us working this out. We’re not the same people we were when we got married. Too much has happened to us both.” She paused for a moment. “McGarrett’s pissed that I wasn’t the one to tell him, isn’t he?”

“McGarrett’s pissed about a lot of things right now, babe,” Danny admitted. “One of his friends from the Navy was just murdered, a baby’s father just used him as a bargaining chip in a shootout, it’s been a very dramatic few days around here. But no, McGarrett’s not pissed at you. He’s worried about you. And he feels bad, you know, that you didn’t feel like you could tell us.”

Kono bit on her bottom lip to hold back the tears that threatened. “Well, you know, it’s like you said earlier,” she said after a moment. “I didn’t know how to let all of you down.”

“Kono, if you’re doing what’s best for you, then you’re never going to let us down.” Danny sighed. “We love Adam, okay? But you were family a long time before he was. We’re not going to give up on you for walking away from your marriage. I think we’ve all done this job long enough to understand your reasons.”

“He wants kids,” she blurted after a moment. She heard Danny inhale sharply on the other end of the line. “And I’m not saying that I don’t, it’s just…”

“After everything you’ve seen with the task force, you’re not exactly eager to risk bringing another little girl or little boy into the world right now,” Danny finished her thought. “I get that.”

“And he was going through some stuff too, what with his informant – that girl he considered his partner – getting murdered by his sister, who then threatened all of us.” Kono sighed. “I didn’t know how to help him, he didn’t know how to help me, we were constantly at an impasse about the kid thing, and I just…”

“You decided you were better off eventually being happy apart than constantly trying to be happy together?” Danny suggested.

Kono sighed again. “Yeah.”

After a few moments, the Jersey native cleared his throat. “Kono,” he began, “I didn’t just call to hear your side of the story. There’s something you need to know.”

“What?” Before Kono even asked the question, she knew she wasn’t going to like the answer.

“Two homicide detectives placed Adam under arrest earlier this afternoon.” Danny fell silent as she processed the news. “Kono, they’re saying he murdered Noriko Noshimuri.”  

And just like that, Kono’s world was spun on its axis once again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This second chapter took me an afternoon to write, but I was so excited to publish it that I only gave it a cursory glance before submitting it. Any glaring errors are entirely my fault. I apologize for them all and hope you enjoy despite any issues I may have left in. This is also my first attempt at writing something entirely based in friendship, especially one between Danny and Kono, so I apologize if either of them seem OOC. It's easier for me to write dialogue between characters I wholeheartedly ship, and they do not fall into that category. I'm doing my best to keep ships out of it, as I didn't tag any. That being said, I do of course have preferences, so I'm sorry if those come through in any way that bothers you. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

Explaining to an entire team of local detectives and federal agents just why she was choosing to take an indefinite sabbatical from the task force to fly back home to Hawaii and investigate the murder her ex-husband had been charged with proved more difficult than Kono had originally anticipated. She was surrounded by a roomful of professional human lie-detectors. The reaction she was most dreading, however, was her partner’s. And oh, Special Agent Kasey Booth certainly didn’t disappoint.

“You’re flying over four thousand miles to help prove the innocence of the man you served with divorce papers not two months ago?” the New York native asked bluntly as she sat on the bed and watched Kono pack her things. She hadn’t offered to help, not that Kono had expected her to. “You do realize how insane that sounds, don’t you? It’s not your job to watch his back anymore, Kalakaua. He’s a big boy; let him take care of himself.”

Kono wasn’t surprised on her partner’s take on the situation. In her experience, no one dealt with exes quite so bitterly as Kasey did. Still, she sighed and began explaining herself for the umpteenth time since returning to her room after informing everyone else. “I’m not just going to help Adam, Kase. There is a murder investigation currently unfolding in my living room. I have things I need to take care of, and I can’t do that from the other side of the world.” She folded her final item of clothing and then closed and zipped the suitcase. “Plus,” she added as she hefted it from the bed and placed it at her feet, “it’ll be good to go home. I haven’t been back since I left for Nevada eighteen months ago.”

“You had a good childhood,” Kasey commented disinterestedly, inspecting her manicured nails with piercingly critical hazel eyes. “You know how I can tell? You’re actually excited about going home.” She shook her head with a long-suffering sigh. “There’s not even the slightest chance I’ll be able to talk you out of this, is there?”

“I’m just doing what I think is right, Kasey,” Kono implored her friend to understand. “I’m not married to Adam anymore, but that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped caring about him or knowing who he truly is. The man I was in love with for nearly seven years could never be capable of doing what they’re accusing him of. Not on purpose, at least. And he wouldn’t lie about it even if he was guilty. They have to have something wrong.”

“You know, until I met you, I never thought it was possible for a person to be too honorable.” Kasey sighed when Kono’s facial expression remained unchanged. “Look, you’re my partner, Kalakaua. You’re my friend. You’re the closest thing to a sister I’ve got. I’m not going to try to stop you from doing what you think is right. But you should probably prepare yourself for the possibility that you might be wrong.”

“You’re right,” Kono agreed. “I probably should. But I’m not going to. I know Adam, Kasey. He didn’t kill his sister in cold blood. He couldn’t have done that. That’s not the kind of person he is.”

“I’m not saying Adam is a bad guy, Kono. You know that’s not what I am saying, because I really do think he’s great. But that does not change the fact that, good or bad, he is still the guy who killed his brother to keep you safe the last time. Self-defense or not, he did what needed to be done to save your life. Another sibling shows up spouting the same nonsense about hurting you, then kills his partner? I know what I’d do. It’s the same thing they’re accusing Adam of doing.” Kasey stood from the bed. “Just don’t set yourself up for disappointment, all right? There is such a thing as believing too much in the people you care about.”

“Yeah,” Kono sighed as she wrapped her partner in her arms for a brief hug. “Remind me never to introduce you to McGarrett. With a mindset like that, you wouldn’t understand each other at all.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

Danny was the one to pick her up at the airport. With everyone else on her former team busy with the case, it was really the only way for her to avoid taking a cap, something both Steve and Danny were adamantly against. What surprised her most wasn’t that Danny was the one able to make time, however. It was that Grace was behind the wheel when the Camaro pulled up. In all the excitement of the last eighteen months, she’d forgotten Danny’s eldest child had already turned sixteen.

Danny quickly climbed from the car to help her with her bags. “We would’ve come in to get you from your gate, you know,” he informed her as he hugged her briefly and then moved to load her suitcases into the trunk.

“Oh, I know,” Kono assured him as she threw the few overnight bags she’d brought along in there, as well. “It was just easier for me to come out than for you to unload everyone and come in. Thank you for picking me up, by the way. I know you’re probably as busy as everyone else when it comes to this case.”

“I mean, it’s pretty time-consuming, yes, but none of us were going to let you take a cab to the office on your first day back home. It just wouldn’t have been right.” Danny slammed the trunk closed and then circled around the vehicle to open the passenger door for her. “I’ll ride in the back with Charlie. Make sure she follows all the rules, all right?” he requested, winking conspiratorially at Kono when he was sure his daughter wasn’t looking.

“Dad,” Grace groaned from the driver’s seat. “I’ve had my license for almost six months, remember?”

“Yes, you have, you are right about that, but that doesn’t always mean you’re great at following the rules, Gracie. Case in point, your Uncle Steve’s had his for over twenty-five years, but he still drives like a maniac and puts my life at risk on a daily basis.” Danny closed Kono’s door behind her once she was safely inside the vehicle. “You’re travelling with two cops now, remember, not just one,” he teased as he climbed in beside his son. “No speeding.”

“I don’t speed!” Grace protested as she carefully pulled out of the parking spot and headed for the exit. Kono couldn’t help but smile at the exasperation in the teenager’s tone. It seemed some things would never change.

“Auntie Kono?” Charlie asked from the backseat after they’d traveled a few miles and found themselves stuck in traffic. “Are you back for good now?”

Kono paused to consider the question for a few moments before answering it. “I don’t know yet, Charlie,” she replied honestly. “I still have a few things to figure out before I can stick around for good.”

Charlie exhaled a long-suffering sigh, forcing both adults in the car to bite back laughter. “Well, I hope you figure them out soon,” he informed her seriously. “Uncle Steve doesn’t buy the same chocolates you do for s’mores. His aren’t is good. But don’t tell him I said that. He tries.”

Kono couldn’t help but laugh quietly at the seriousness of the boy’s tone. “Well, Charlie, if you’d like, I could tell your Uncle Steve the chocolate bars I buy, so he can use the same ones,” she suggested.

Charlie nodded enthusiastically at the idea, and Danny shook his head in exasperated amusement at his son’s reaction. After that, the rest of the drive to the Palace was mostly quiet.

Rachel was there when they arrived, waiting with a patient smile to load Charlie into her car, and the little boy babbled excitedly to his father and Kono about his upcoming visit to the zoo as he gathered his things from the backseat. Will stopped by less than fifteen minutes after Danny’s ex and son left – Kono didn’t think she’d ever get used to the fact that these kids she’d known forever could now drive legally – and he and Grace made sure their plans to go to the arcade were still all right with her father before they left, as well. After they’d driven away, Kono and Danny headed for the office.

“Before Adam got hauled in, we were planning on doing the zoo, all four of us,” he explained. “If the circumstances were any different, I guarantee Gracie would be even more excited to get out of it. She’s apparently been over giraffes for the past two years. Not that she bothered to tell me that before the plans were already made.” 

“That’s where you’re wrong, Williams. A girl’s never over giraffes,” Kono teased as they walked through the elevator’s open doors. “And don’t worry so much about Gracie not wanting to be involved. She’s sixteen. I was much, much worse at her age, I promise you, and I turned out just fine.”

“You grew into a woman who willingly gets shot at,” Danny pointed out as he pressed the correct button, causing the elevator to suddenly jolt upward.

“That is – that’s a fair point,” Kono conceded, blinking successively for a few moments. “I don’t exactly willingly get shot at, though. I just willingly take the risk I might get shot at. There’s a major difference.”

“How is there a major difference?” Danny asked incredulously as they exited the elevator and headed for the glass doors leading into Five-O’s headquarters.

“Well, because my explanation just makes me seem idiotic. Yours makes me seem downright suicidal,” Kono explained as she walked through the door he held open for her.

“Well, of course I didn’t mean it that way,” Danny assured her. “You worked for McGarrett. You didn’t turn into him.”  

Kono was still shaking her head in amusement at his final comment when they arrived at the Smartboard. She recognized Steve, of course, as well as Jerry and Lou, but there were two other individuals she couldn’t immediately place. “Kono, meet our newest members, Tani Rey and Junior Reigns. Tani, Junior, this is Officer Kono Kalakaua.”

“Hi,” Tani greeted hesitantly.

Kono knew the reason the other woman seemed so nervous. According to what Adam had told the others, it was Tani who had discovered the gun in his kitchen drawer several weeks before. Kono wasn’t going to hold the young officer accountable for that, however. Sometimes – especially for those who didn’t begin thinking identically to McGarrett even after working with him for months on end – being a good cop trumped being a good friend. It seemed that, for Tani, this had proven to be one of those times.

“Hi, Officer Rey,” Kono returned with a polite smile. “Nice to meet you. Officer Reigns,” she added with a nod, reaching out to shake the young man’s hands. “I’ve heard good things about the both of you.” She then turned to Steve with a fond smile. “So,” she teased as she moved closer, “how many times have you almost gotten yourself killed since I left this time?”

“Oh, no more than a dozen,” he replied easily, grinning at her for a moment before hugging her tightly. “It’s good to have you back, Kono,” he said seriously as he pulled away. “I just wish the circumstances were different.”

“Eh,” Kono shrugged. “At this point, I’ve learned to take what I can get.” She then turned to Lou. “Your kid’s driving,” she informed him unnecessarily. “When the hell did that happen?”

“Believe me, that’s a question you and I are both asking,” the Chicago native assured her. “How long you planning to stay?”

“I don’t know,” Kono answered truthfully. “Until this mess is cleared up, at the very least. The task force knows not to expect me back anytime soon.”

“Good, so there’s still a chance we can steal you from them.” Lou shook his head at her quiet laughter. “I wasn’t joking.”

“Believe me, I know. You’re not the first person to say something along those lines since I got back,” Kono replied. “Jerry,” she greeted their analyst after a moment. “How are you?”

“Good, good,” he assured her. “I finally solved that open murder case I’ve been investigating for the past few decades. We all almost died in a cabin when the murderer found out, but it all worked out in the end.”

Kono eyed him incredulously. “I see. And when exactly did this happen?”

“On Halloween,” he answered promptly.

She spun on her heel to look at both Danny and Steve. “That’s funny, because I’ve spoken to both of these guys since Halloween, and neither of them mentioned a thing about either a cabin or a murderer.”

“In our defense, we weren’t there,” Danny explained hurriedly. “We were investigating a case at the time.”

“Yeah, so, you see, it would’ve been secondhand information coming from us. We wouldn’t have had all the details, wasn’t our story to tell.” Steve smiled charmingly when Kono’s expression remained unchanged. “Sorry we didn’t tell you, Kono. It was an oversight on our part, and we apologize.”

“We do,” Danny tacked on unnecessarily. “But, you see, everyone’s alive and in one piece, so it worked out in the end. Right, Jerry?” Their analyst nodded in agreement. “See? Everything’s fine.”

“And you guys say we need a newsletter because of what goes on in _my_ life,” Kono muttered under her breath, shaking her head exasperatedly before glancing up at the Smartboard before them. “So,” she began, her eyes never leaving the screen, “what exactly does the HPD have on Adam?”

And just like that, they were back on track.

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was surreal for Kono, walking into the interrogation room at HPD Headquarters and seeing Adam sitting at the table. The officer sitting across from him stood silently from her seat and ducked from the room, leaving the former couple alone for the first time since they’d ended their marriage months before.

“Did you do it?” she asked before she even sat down, causing Adam to stare up at her incredulously. “It’s not a rhetorical question, Adam. Did you do it?” she asked again. “Because if you did it, we need to know. We need to know so that we can fix it.”

“Kono,” Adam began quietly, “I didn’t kill Noriko.”

“See, I’d be more inclined to believe you if you could look me in the eye as you said that.” Kono exhaled deeply when Adam simply shook his head. “Damn it, Adam. They found the murder weapon in our kitchen. I’ve been on the mainland for almost two years. The only other person who had access to that gun was Tani Rey, and she has an alibi from another cop. There is no way for you to get out of this if you don’t start telling us the truth.”

“We’re divorced, Kono,” Adam reminded her tiredly. “Why do you even care anymore?”

“You’re right, Adam. We’re divorced, which means I’ve stopped being your wife. It doesn’t mean I’ve stopped being your friend.” She leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table. “So,” she began again, “what happened between you and Noriko? How did the gun that killed her end up in that drawer? Just tell the truth, Adam. Please,” she begged a final time, “just tell me the truth.”

The look in her eyes must have broken his resolve. For the first time since she’d walked into that room, that was exactly what he did.

-o-o-o-o-o-

There were moments when Kono hated the fact that she was a cop. Having to decide whether or not to tell the others what Adam had told her in the privacy of that room was one of those moments. Duke had ordered all recording devices to be turned off during their conversation. Nobody other than her knew what was said within those four walls. The weight of that was something she was going to have to carry until the moment she came to a decision.

Steve was leaning against the wall outside when she exited the interrogation room. He pushed away from it at the sight of her, tossing a curious look in her direction as he glanced pointedly at the closed door behind her. She simply shrugged and gestured down the hallway, silently insisting she’d tell him on the way to the parking lot. With an understanding nod, he fell into step beside her, his eyes still full of concern as they walked.

“He did it,” she admitted quietly, glancing around quickly to make sure no officers had overheard the confession. “He says it was in self-defense. Considering Noriko’s record, I’m inclined to believe him.”

“She certainly wasn’t known on this island for her kindness,” Steve agreed, holding open the door for her and then following her outside. “But you know as well as I do how hard it is to make an argument for self-defense in a case like this one, Kono.”

“I do,” she conceded. “He didn’t report it. He hid the murder weapon. He lied to the cops. None of that was an accident. With the right prosecutor, a jury could be convinced that the murder wasn’t, either.”

“Yeah,” Steve sighed. “And considering Adam’s history, it wouldn’t be the hardest argument to make. He’s already spent time in jail for murder. Won’t be hard for the DA to make everyone believe he just… fell off the wagon. This case practically argues itself, Kono, and not in Adam’s favor.”

Kono nodded. “I know all that,” she told him quietly, pausing in front of the truck and turning back to look at him. “But I also know what it’s like to think you’re going to lose a teammate. I know what it’s like to watch someone you care about suffer. And I know, better than I’d like to, to know how it feels to know you can’t do a damn thing about any of it. She killed his partner, Steve. Can you honestly say you wouldn’t have done the same thing?”

Steve didn’t even hesitate before responding. “No. Which is why we’re going to have to figure out a way to talk him out of this. Preferably before the DA is able to build an even bigger case.”

“I’m on board with that idea,” Kono replied as she climbed into the cab of his truck.

“Good. Then let’s get to work,” Steve said as he slid behind the wheel.

-o-o-o-o-o-

They didn’t leave the office until late that evening. It was so late, in fact, that Kono pulled her recently-acquired rental car out of the parking lot three minutes past midnight. She didn’t go to the house HPD had turned into a crime scene, nor did she drive back to her hotel. No, she ended up in a bar down the street from the office instead. After the day she’d had, she really did feel like she’d earned every sip of alcohol she could get. If that meant she’d have to take a cab home, then so be it.

She was halfway through her second beer when someone very familiar settled onto the barstool beside her. “You know,” Danny said after several moments of silence, “this doesn’t exactly seem like your scene, babe. I mean, there’s not a surfboard in sight.”

“Surfers all drink on the North Shore,” she muttered into her mug as she took another sip. “Not one of them in their right mind that’d make the drive all the way over here just for a beer.”

“Uh-huh,” Danny responded disinterestedly. “You know, my dad said something to me after Rachel and I ended things. He told me that the answers I really wanted weren’t the ones I’d find at the bottle of a bottle, and you know what? He was right.”

“If I was here because my marriage just ended, then that would be good to know,” Kono replied dryly. “But I’m not here because of that, Danny. I’m here because the man I loved for the better part of the past decade killed his sister and then lied about it to the people he was supposed to care about the most.”

“In Adam’s defense, you’re a very hard person to let down,” Danny informed her. “I mean, I don’t know a person on this planet who knows how to do it without feeling like absolute crap afterwards.” He sighed when that failed to elicit any sort of response from her. “Look, Kono, I know that he lied to you, and that sucks. It really does, but that doesn’t mean he’s lying to you now. If he says he killed her in self-defense, then you should believe him. I do.”

“We believed him the last time, too,” Kono reminded him. “We believed him when he said he had nothing to do with her death, and we got kicked in the teeth for it. Do you really want to sign up to have that happen to you again?”

“Yes,” Danny said definitively. “Because I still believe in him. And deep down, so do you.”

Kono shot an unamused glare in his direction. “You do know I hate it when you’re right, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do,” Danny replied cheerfully. “I’m not overly concerned by it, though. It’s just another thing you have in common with Steve. I blame it entirely on his influence over the past eight years.”

Kono smiled at that. “I swear, the two of you are worse than Booth and me,” she muttered amusedly. “And we’ve had screaming matches in the bullpen before.”

“In this equation, I’m assuming you’re McGarrett and I’m Booth?” Danny shrugged when Kono nodded in response. “I’m okay with that comparison,” he told her. “From what I’ve heard, Booth is hot.”

“So am I!” Kono returned indignantly.

“No, babe, you’re _beautiful_. There’s a difference.” He stole a sip of her beer and then placed the mug back in front of her. “How’d she react to you leaving?” he asked after a moment.

“Oh, she’s pissed,” Kono returned with a humorless smile. “But it’ll be fine. She’ll get over it eventually.”

Danny nodded. “So,” he began, “you still planning on heading back to the mainland after we figure out this thing with Adam?”

Kono glanced around the small space and then shrugged in response to the question. “I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I mean, the last time I went to a bar on the road, I found a millipede in my beer. It’s not exactly an experience I’m overly enthusiastic about risking a repeat of. Nothing like that’s ever happened here.”

“So we’ve got wormless beer going for us,” Danny teased quietly. “That’s good to know.”

“Not sure they’re worms, but yeah. You’ve got that going for you.” Kono finished her beer before continuing, this time with eyes full of genuine warmth. “You’ve got a lot more going for you too,” she promised. “I haven’t exactly found a family out on the open road. I’ve never not had one here.”

“Is this your way of admitting you kind of like us all, too?” Danny suggested amusedly. “Because if it is, then it’s about time.”

“Yeah, Danny,” she laughed quietly. “I kind of like all of you, too.” She sighed as she stared straight ahead. “I still have to tell my parents about the divorce,” she said after a few seconds.

Danny winced from his spot next to her. “Yeah, that’s never fun,” he lamented. “But they’ll be okay.”

“How are you so sure?” Kono asked, once again glancing in his direction.

Danny shrugged. “It’s like I told you on the phone. You’re their family. The only thing they care about is that you’re happy.” He eyed her closely before finally speaking again. “Are you?”

Kono shrugged as she leaned against the counter. “I’m getting there,” she answered honestly.

Danny patted her gently on the shoulder, a gentle smile on her face. “Well, then,” he replied quietly, “that’s good enough for me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funnily enough, I could not find the exact answer to whether or not millipedes are worms. They're invertebrates, if that means anything to you. A bunch of Web sites call them worms. I don't know. There's a reason I'm a History major and not a Science one, and it's not just because memorizing the Periodic table sophomore year legitimately brought me to tears.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I did not think I'd wrap this up so quickly, but here we are. This chapter is short, like the first one was, but I think I covered everything I wanted to cover in it. This was an experiment in the no-ship world for me - I rarely write things that do not revolve at all around one ship or another - so I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. As always, errors are my own and I apologize for them.

Kono glanced impatiently down at her watch as she paced anxiously outside of the courthouse, her black pumps clicking against the concrete with every step. It’d been nearly an hour since final arguments ended, and the jury had left to debate their final verdict immediately after. Kono didn’t know what to think of the fact that it was taking them much longer than either the prosecution or the defense had expected. She hoped it meant good news and prayed it didn’t mean bad. That was all there was really left to do. After all the effort she and the task force had put in, it was out of their hands. All they could do was wait.

The door opened, pulling her from her thoughts, and she glanced up just in time to see Steve looked out. The lieutenant commander looked just as worried about the situation as she was. Fortunately for him, he was much better at hiding his true feelings from the world.

The naval officer cleared his throat and buried his hands in the pockets of his suit pants. “The jury just came back with their verdict,” he informed her. “The judge needs us all back in the courtroom before it’s delivered. I figured you might want to be there.”

Kono nodded her understanding. “Yeah, of course,” she replied shakily, swiping at tears she hadn’t realized were falling as they slightly smudged her makeup. She caught them before they dripped past her cheeks. “It’s going to be okay, right?” she asked desperately, knowing there was no way for Steve to answer the question honestly and still wanting him to answer it all the same. “They’re not going to send him away for this, are they?”

Steve sighed quietly. “His lawyer made one hell of an argument,” he reminded her. “And we did everything we could to help build the case up in his favor. We did all we could do, Kono. After that, it was up to the jury. And now they’ve made their decision. So, we both need to go back in there. Either way, we need to support Adam.”

His soothing words and calm tone were enough to snap Kono out of her panic. “Okay,” she breathed, allowing him to guide her back into the courthouse with a hand on the small of her back. “I guess it’s time to face the music.”

The others were waiting for them just outside the courtroom when they came back in. Danny sighed in relief at the sight of his teammates. “Good, you’re back. We’ve got to get back in there right now, or the judge might sentence Adam to prison just out of spite for us taking so long.”

“Then we should probably get in there,” Kono murmured, brushing carefully past him and walking into the room. She didn’t have to glance back to know the others were following her.

The judge cleared his throat in annoyance as they walked into the room, then rewarded their reappearance with a curt nod before turning to address the foreman. “Will the foreman stand?” He waited until the man did as directed before continuing on gruffly. “Has the jury reached a unanimous verdict?”

“We have, Your Honor,” the man replied confidently, holding out the paperwork to be delivered to the judge. The man seated at the bench only glanced down at it for a few moments before returning it to the clerk to be delivered back to the foreman.

“And how do you find the defendant?” the judge asked.

“On the charge of second-degree murder, we the jury find the defendant…”

-o-o-o-o-o-

Kono was seated on the same barstool in the same bar she’d visited two weeks earlier. This time, however, her drinking wasn’t sorrowful. It was celebratory.

Danny settled onto the barstool next to her, similarly as how he had the last time they were there together. He was smiling now, though, happiness obvious in his gaze as he ordered himself a beer and requested a refill for the woman next to him. “So,” he began as his glass was slid to him, “you drinking to bury your demons tonight?”

“Nope,” she replied easily. “I’m drinking because happiness feels happier when you’re really tipsy.”

“Well, I can’t argue with that argument.” Danny took a sip of his beer. “So, you given any more thought into what you’re going to do now that Adam’s been cleared?”

“It seems the task force back on the mainland made that decision for me,” Kono sighed, the sound anything but unhappy. “Kasey texted me right after the verdict came back. The people we were hunting in Chicago proved more valuable assets that we thought they’d be. The organization is crumbling around its ringmasters as we speak. It is no more. Well,” she tacked on after a moment, her tone less amused, “it is no more here in the States. We still have to send all our paperwork over to Interpol to help take down the groups in Europe.”

“They’ll pull it off,” Danny assured her. “Because of you and your team, they’ll pull it off.” He smiled at the light in her eyes. “I’m glad you got another bit of good news today. You know, in addition to Adam’s verdict.”

Kono returned his smile. “Yeah. So am I.”

“They expecting you back in Nevada anytime soon?” Danny asked curiously. “Is there still work you have to finish?”

“Well, there’s the paper kind, but I can do that electronically.” Kono shrugged. “I think I’m going to stick around.”

Danny clapped once in triumph at the news, then turned slightly in his seat to look at his partner on the other side of the bar. “Steve, she’s staying!”

The naval officer glanced away from Jerry in the middle of a sentence and flashed a smile in their direction. “You are, huh?” he asked as he came to stand beside her. “What made you decide that?”

“Well, the task force closed the case,” she informed him. “Also, there aren’t worms in the beer around here, so...”

“Huh?” Steve asked confusedly. He glanced at his partner when the man laughed loudly at Kono’s comment. “What does she mean by that, Danno?”

“Don’t worry about it, buddy. It’s an inside joke,” Danny informed him. “I’ll explain it to you when you’re older.”

The naval officer groaned in frustration. “What does that even mean?” he asked, annoyance clear in his tone.

Kono shook her head amusedly as she listened to the argument. It was official. Everything was back to normal, and she couldn’t be gladder for that than she was in that moment.


End file.
